Do you feel like you struggle when baking? Sometimes your chocolate chip cookies are a hit, and sometimes they end up in the garbage. Maybe your sponge cake is always dry and crumbles. If you suffer from inconsistent results, or worse, consistently bad results then you might not be measuring ingredients properly. It is a common mistake and measuring flour is usually the source of the problem.
Cookies that are stiff and dry or cake that is crumbly is a sign that you may be using too much flour. On the other hand, cookies that are flat, brown and crispy or cake that is soggy is a sign that you may not have used enough flour. However, when measuring flour it is much easier (and more common) to over-measure than under-measure.
This is because flour is often measured by volume with a measuring cup. Unfortunately, if your technique is not perfect this method will result in inconsistent and inaccurate measurements; typically from over-packing the cup. Scooping the flour directly out of the container with the measuring cup, compressing the flour down while attempting to level off the top and shaking the cup can result in up to 50% more flour in the cup than the recipe intends. (These common mistakes may be why your sponge cake is a little dry!)
To avoid these complications, professional bakers measure flour by weight with a digital scale. It is the easiest and best way to take consistent and accurate measurements. It will allow you to make chewy chocolate chip cookies, moist cupcakes and soft, flaky bread every time because measuring by weight requires less technical skill and is easily repeatable.
To measure flour with a scale place a mixing bowl on the platform and press the ‘Tare’ button to clear its weight and reset the display to zero. Now, slowly pour flour into the mixing bowl until you reach the required weight measurement. Typically, unbleached all-purpose flour will weigh 4.25 ounces or 120 grams. It could not be easier. King Arthur Flour has an excellent online reference to help you convert units of volume to weight.
For professional results, measure flour on an Escali scale as do thousands of professional kitchens across North America. Escali’s professional quality, Lifetime ltd. Warranty and Satisfaction Guarantee ensure that you will always bake crowd-pleasing cookies, cakes and breads. Click to browse Escali’s award winning kitchen scales.